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Budget 2013: No mention for flagship Green Deal

The government’s flagship energy efficiency scheme has failed to receive a mention in the budget

Despite renewing its commitment to zero carbon homes, the government neglected to mention its flagship energy efficiency scheme, the Green Deal in either the budget document presented to the House of Commons today (20 March) or in chancellor George Osborne’s statement to the house.

The omission has been criticised as a ‘missed opportunity’ for greening UK housing stock.

David Symons, UK director at environmental agency WSP said: ‘It’s good news that today’s budget re-confirmed that all new homes will be zero carbon from 2016.

‘But the government has barely started to make Britain’s 6 million existing homes energy efficient and today’s budget is a missed opportunity to really help kick start underfunded policies such as the Green Deal.

He added ‘Support to energy reducing jobs would have helped massively expand the 60,000 registered plumbers and builders who are ready to start work right now’

The UK-GBC has also criticised the government for ‘failing to give the Green Deal a look in’.

John Alker, of the UK-GBC said: ‘We think that long-term incentives are much needed to boost the Green Deal, although unfortunately it’s not terribly surprising that there wasn’t anything in this budget, because there is currently £125 million in incentives waiting to be spent on early adopters, and realistically I think we will need to wait until that pot of money runs out before government considers additional incentives.’

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